November 29, 2003
Bogojavlenie, or “Epiphany” in English, commemorates the baptism of Jesus. It is celebrated throughout the Orthodox world, and usually involves a procession from the church to the nearest body of water. After blessing the water, the priest throws the cross into the icy depths. Then the mad rush begins, as stripped-down bathers take the plunge [...]
November 28, 2003
A classic analysis of Romanian defense from guest author Dr. Sam Vaknin. Romanian President, Ion Iliescu, contests his homeland’s geography. On Monday, at a joint press conference with Bulgaria’s President Parvanov, he cast both countries as “central-south European” rather than the derogatory “Balkan”. Both polities are well on their way to join NATO and the [...]
November 27, 2003
Athens- enduring testament to Greece and its classical legacy- is an enticing, exotic European city where past and present coexist in serene yet spirited harmony. According to myth, the city was named after Athena, Olympian goddess of wisdom, when she endowed it with that ultimate symbol of Greece- the olive tree. Ever since, Athens has [...]
November 26, 2003
A strangely captivating land of mountains and lakes, Macedonia slips beneath the radar of most businessmen and expats. This is a shame, because the little country has a lot to offer for the persistent and committed investor. While it does have problems commonly found in all post-Socialistic Balkan states, the lack of competition and generally [...]
November 25, 2003
If you are heading out to the fractious, mixed-up region of the Balkans (that area of southern Europe comprising Albania, Northern Greece, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, and European Turkey), it would behoove you to know a little bit about the surprisingly varied and creative lengths that the various nationalities go to just to say [...]
November 24, 2003
The recent week of terrorist attacks in Istanbul have spread confusion and panic in Turkey’s spiritual capital. Some fear that the military may crack down if the government cannot stop future outbursts of violence. Others believe that (as in America) a voluntary surrender of civil liberties may be the necessary price of ensuring safety. And [...]
November 21, 2003
Guest author Dr. Sam Vaknin debunks commonly-held myths about Yugoslavia in this article from April 2000. I have spent the last decade reading books and articles written about Yugoslavia by luminaries from East and West alike. I wonder if there ever was a subject so enshrouded by myths and inexactitudes, platitudes and wrongs, errors and [...]
November 19, 2003
By Phillip Corwin (Duke University Press, 1999) Reviewed by Nebojsa Malic Philip Corwin is not a professional apologist, advocacy journalist, propagandist or self-aggrandizing Imperial shill, the kind one would expect writing a book about Bosnia. Corwin, an American in UN service, was the head of UNPROFOR Civil Affairs in Sarajevo during those crucial months of [...]
November 18, 2003
As I was helping the stroller-pushing mom carry her two-ton sack of clothes into the laundromat that day, a ludicrous thought struck me: what if this were Turkey? When the thankful woman blurted out her gratitude, I wanted to reply with “good service, good service?” and the expectant, hound-dog eyes of a “helpful” Turk hungry [...]
November 16, 2003
The recent sinking of the Prestige oil tanker came only 2 months after construction began on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which will connect the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas. In regards to the future of oil transit and supply in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the symbolic relationship here is telling indeed. At bottom, the issue linking [...]
